Do Envy and Consumer-Generated Content Boost Travel Motivations?

Abstract

This article examines the relationships between consumer-generated content, travel motivation, desire to visit a destination, destination visit intention, and willingness to pay more. This article also analyzes the moderating effect of envy types on these relationships. We collected data from 414 participants in the US. According to the research findings, importance attached to participant sharing (IPS) is a predictor of escape and novelty motivation, while importance attached to non-participant sharing (INPS) is a predictor of exciting experience, novelty, prestige, and self-development motivations. Desire to visit the destination also positively affects destination visit intention and willingness to pay more. Benign envy has a moderating effect on relationships between INPS/IPS and prestige motivation. On the other hand, malicious envy has only a moderating effect on the relationship between INPS and escape motivation. This study reveals that consumer-generated content (CGC) strongly influences intrinsic travel motives. This study also explains how CGC influences attitudes and behaviors in the context of self-determination theory.